Sensing devices for selective delivery conveyors



June 4, 1957 W. E. HAUSCHILD ETAL SENSING DEVICES FOR SELECTIVE DELIVERY CONVEYORS Filed Jan. 20, 1955 I 2 Sheets-Sheet l A 1' )VVEVfiES May/4050 7117 /5501 561/ June 4, 1957 w. E. HAUSCHILD ETAL 2,794,535

SENSING osvxas FOR SELECTIVE DELIVERY CONVEYORS Filed Jan. 20. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //VV A ZZZPS w//,4050//40 15504 [61/ gy/AM United States Patent SENSING DEVICES FOR SELECTIVE DELIVERY CONVEYORS William E. Hauschild and John E. Soleckl, Indianapolis,

Ind., assignors to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 20, 1955, Serial No. 482,947

6 Claims. (Cl. 198-38) This invention relates to sensing devices for selective delivery conveyors, and more particularly to electrical contacting devices for contacting articles being moved by a conveyor to determine the destinations of the articles.

An object of the invention is to provide new and improved contact electrical sensing elements for selective conveyor systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide rugged, durable sensing contacts past which articles having conductive marks on the sides thereof at different levels are advanced while in engagement with the contacts so that, when the conductive marks are at a predetermined level, the contacts of the device are bridged, to actuate a selector for discharging the carton from means conveying the carton past the contacts.

Another object of the invention is to provide sensing contacts which may be easily maintained and which are not subject to damage.

A sensing device illustrating certain features of the invention may include a plurality of contact plates, each individually resiliently mounted at a different level from the other plate and mounted in spaced, horizontal planes on a resiliently mounted arm adjacent to a belt conveyor which conveys cartons having graphite marks past the plates in contact with plates so that graphite marks at a predetermined height on the cartons bridge the plates electrically. This bridging actuates a relay to cause a deflector arm beyond the contacts to be swung across the conveyor to deflect the box to a chute extending laterally from the conveyor.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of a sensing device forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a sensing device forming one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of a portion of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown therein sensing switches 8 and 9 each including a plurality of cam-shaped electroconductive contact plates 10, 11, 12 and 13 for engaging cartons 14 carried by a belt conveyor 15 therepast. The contact plates are designed to bridged by graphite marks on sides 16 of the cartons 14, each mark being at a selected height on the carton such as to bridge a selected two of the contact plates as a spring-pressed arm 17 mounted pivotally on a pin 18 presses each carton 14 into engagement with contactors 31 held by the plates 10, 11, 12 and 13. Each of the plates 10, 11, 12 and 13 includes a guideway 20, in which one of the slidable electroconductive contactors or rounded shoes 31, which are convexly shaped, is mounted and is urged upwardly, as viewed in Fig. 3, by a U-shaped leaf spring 32. The contactors 31 are in conductive engagement with the walls of the guideways 20 and the 2,794,535 Patented June 4, 1 957 springs 32, and movement thereof by the springs are limited by shoulders 33 and 34 on the plates 10, 11, 12 and 13 and the contactors 31.

The plates 10, 11, 12 and 13 are mounted on electrically insulating sleeves 35 on belts 36 in positions separated by electrically insulating plates 37 and between bracket arms 39 of a bracket 40 mounted rotatably on the pin or post 18. The arm 17 is secured rigidly to the bracket 40, and carries insulated terminal posts 46 and 47 thereon which are connected to conductors 48 and 49, respectively. The conductors 48 and 49 are soldered to electroconductive lugs 50 and 51, respectively, connected electrically to the plates 10 and 11, respectively. The posts 46 and 47 are secured to electroconductive tension springs 56 and 57, which in turn are secured to terminal posts 58 and 59 mounted on and electrically insulated from a mounting plate 60. Conductors 61 and 62 secured to the posts 58 and 59, respectively, lead to an actuating mechanism (not shown), such as a solenoid actuated by a sensitive electronic relay of a well known type actuatable by bridging of a selected two of the plates 10, 11, 12 and 13 for actuating a deflector arm 65 of the conveyor 15. Side or discharge conveyors illustrated by a side conveyor 66 are spaced along the conveyor 15 and have arms like the arm 65 for discharging cartons to the side conveyors. Also, a sensing switch (not shown) like the switches 8 and 9 is provided just in advance of each of the side conveyors.

The mounting plate 60, which supports the post 18 is provided with mounting slots 63 and 64 by which the plate 60 is bolted adjustably to a frame 67 (Fig. 1) of the belt conveyor 15. The arm 17 is limited in movement by a pin 71 mounted on the plate 60 and may be swung in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, by a misplaced carton engaging the plates 10, 11, 12 and 13, at which time a stop pin 72 limits the movement of the plates to a position in which the plates are swung back behind guide rails 74 and 75 of the conveyor 15. The plates 10, 11, 12 and 13 and the contactors 31 are convex and two of the contactors are engaged by each graphite mark 78 on the cartons 14.

The conductors 48 and 49 may be connected to any adjacent pairs of the plates 10, 11, 12 and 13 of any of the sensing switches so that a wide variety of combinations of the lengths of the graphite marks on the side 16 of the cartons 14 may be provided, only one of which will bridge the contact plates at a particular one of the side conveyors 66 so that the cartons may be selectively delivered to the several side conveyors.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A conveyor sensing device, which comprises a plurality of electroconductive plates having guideways therein, means mounting the plates in stacked parallel positions electrically insulated from one another, a plurality of resilient contactors mounted slidably in the guideways in the plates and electrically insulated one from another, and means carrying the plates as a whole pivotally.

2. A selector conveyor system sensing device, which comprises a conveyor, a mounting plate designed to be secured in a position extending along the side of the conveyor, a bracket mounted pivotally on the mounting plate, a plurality of plates having guideways therein mounted on the bracket, means for electrically insulating the plates one from another, a plurality of contacts having convex contacting edges mounted slidably in the 3 plates and electrically insulated one from another, and means urging the contacts along the guideways into the path of articles carried by the conveyor.

3. A conveyor switch, which comprises a pluralityof plates'having guideways therein, means mounting the plates in parallel stacked positions electrically insulated from one another, a pluralityof contactor shoes mounted slidably in the guide'w'ays in the plates and electrically insulated from one another, and means urging the shoes to positions projecting from the plates. 7

4. 'Aselector conveyor system switch, which comprises a conveyor bed, a belt movable along the bed, a side rail having a break therein, .a mounting platemounted at the break in the side rail, a bracket mounted pivotally on the mounting plate, a plurality of electroconductive plates having guidew'ays thereinmounted on the bracket, means for electrically insulating the plates one from another, a plurality of contacts having arcuate contacting edges mounted. slidably on the plates and electrically insulated one from another, means urging the contacts along the guideways toward extended positions projecting over the bed, and means. urging the bracket toward the path of articles carried by the conveyor.

5. In afselective conveyor system including a main conveyor, a discharge conveyor and deflector means for moving articles having conductive strips on the sides thereof from the main conveyor to the discharge conveyor, the improvement comprising :a plurality of electroconductive shoes, means mounting the shoes in stacked positions insulated from one another in positions relative to the main conveyor such that a plurality of the shoes are engaged by a strip on an article approaching the discharge conveyor, resilient means urging the shoes individually against the article, and means connecting two of the shoes electrically to the deflector means.

6. In a selective conveyor system including a main conveyor, a discharge conveyor and means for deflecting cartons from the main conveyor to the discharge conveyor, the improvement comprising a mounting plate designed to be secured along the conveyor at the approach side of the discharge conveyor, a bracket mounted pivotally on the mounting plate, a plurality of electroconductive plates having guideways therein mounted on the bracket, means for insulating the plates one from another, a plurality of electroconductive contact shoes having arcuate contacting edges mounted slidably in the plates,

means urging the shoes into the path of a carton carried by the main conveyor, a pair of mounting posts secured to the bracket, a pair of electroconductive springs secured to the mounting posts, a pair of mounting posts mounted on the mounting plate to which the springs are secured so that the springs urge the shoes and plates into the path of cartons on the main conveyor, conductors for selectively connecting the contact shoes to the springs, and deflector means operable by bridging of the shoes for deflecting articles bridging the shoes from the main conveyor to the discharge conveyor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 568,205 Norden Sept. 22, 1896 1,808,134 Gotthardt et a1. June 2, 1931 1,808,135 Gotthardt et a1. June 2, 1931 2,089,936 Ahlburg Aug. 17, 1937 2,297,596 Westin Sept. 29, 1942 

